Hi All,

Looking for a softshell jacket as a layer for riding on those chilier mornings or cooler days in the summer.

Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Sam

Get a Gore. Got mine second hand (original price £110) for £25. Lierally love it and have had the zipper replaced kindly at mates rates or below by Dan (Ledburner on here). So all in it's cost me £25 + £10 (Dan) + £6ish (actual zipper) over the past couple years. When the material finally gives up I'll be saving up and getting myself a brandnew one as it's been that good.

Arms zipper off so of it becomes a bit warm later you can just remove the arms and continue with body wind protection. Its simply amazing... I think its this https://www.wiggle.com.au/gore-bike-wea ... ble-jacket but mine is 'slow blue'.

Polaris

https://www.polaris-bikewear.co.uk/AM-E ... 5313-p.htm


I have two.

A bit rich at £90 but an absolute steal for £40

Polaris kit is brilliant and you won't go wrong with it. Also a fan of Fohn stuff. I bought an on sale jacket from CRC just before winter last year really and rate it. It's a bit beat up already so not as tough as Polaris but very good fit and really good value.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/fohn-shell-jackets

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 3:53 pm Polaris

https://www.polaris-bikewear.co.uk/AM-E ... 5313-p.htm


I have two.

A bit rich at £90 but an absolute steal for £40

I was going to say this but then I thought I'd just wait for Colin to save me a job

I find it quite warm (wore it early this morning over a thin base layer, very light frost out), perhaps a little bit short (medium, I'm 6'1") and the rear pocket annoys me (opening is on the side for some reason), but otherwise happy with it for the money (paid maybe £35).

Not sure if fits what you mean as a "softshell" but if light, windproof and a bit of shower protection are required a Howies Doyle isn't bad:

https://howies.co.uk/products/mens-doyl ... oof-jacket

Sadly they only seem to be doing black at the moment (daft colour IMO) and at SRP it's over-priced IMO. Seems to have semi-regularly come up in sales though at c.50% of that. Retro-reflective's are pretty poor on it too so not something that'll help you stand out / be seen.

I have had Gore Phantoms (excellent but now £180!), Endura Winddchill (good, warm, not too pricey) and recently picked up one of the Polaris ones, on Colin’s recommendation. It’s a bit cooler than the Endura and copes well with a wide range of temperatures, which is great. I prefer the back pockets on the Endura but otherwise the Polaris is at least as good.

I use a Rab vapour rise jacket, keeps the wind off but is much more breathable than a standard softshell. I wear it pretty much all year round.

R.apha windshirt is excellent, no membrane to the jacket, so perfect in all but the depths of winter.

Had mine for years (I reckon 8 years) and it’s still going strong

rudedog wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:57 pm I use a Rab vapour rise jacket, keeps the wind off but is much more breathable than a standard softshell. I wear it pretty much all year round.

This one looks ideal. Thanks for all the suggestions folks.

Rab VR is excellent as a softshell, but it's not windproof, just wind resistant

It's fantastically breathable and adds a layer of warmth, but if you're not yet up to temp and there's a cold wind or air temp, you'll feel it. It layers really well though, which is a real strength

I've found myself wearing a windshirt more regularly than a softshell recently. It's easier to take off and stick in a bag than a softshell, and I can therefore swap it out for other layers more easily. Also find they have more reflective bits. My windshirts tend to be biking focussed, my softshells more general outdoors kit. Have many options of both types, I'm a bit of a kit whore

Rab Kinetic Plus waterproof/softshell jacket - very impressed with it so far.

It's lightweight, soft, stretchy, very breathable and pretty waterproof (with a waterproof measure of 10,000mm and breathability of 35,000cc/sqm/24hrs). - Perfect for changeable conditions. I originally got it for climbing but found that the hood fits well under a bike helmet and when done up it is all very snug. I had to use it in an unexpected blizzard a few weeks ago and it proved excellent.

It's "only" £126 too for this older model which is the one I got:

https://www.tauntonleisure.com/clothing ... zon__12819

Alpkit morphosis is what I have experience with. Good shape for cycling. Warm but ventable. I like it.
https://alpkit.com/products/morphosis-h ... s#features

They do a full zip version too I think

Rab Boreas.

Probably my most worn and favourite garment for just about any activity.

Not completely wind resitant, but holds off most. Extremely breathable (much more than a true softshell), stretchy, durable, light, inexpensive, good sizing.
As I mentioned, it's not a true softshell, but it covers a huge range of applications.

Comes with full and half zips.



Edit:
Newer versions are called Borealis and come with a different fabric, which dries faster but acts more like a shell.
Disclaimer: I have both (old and new) but have sofar only used the new one for one walk.

Edit 2:
For true wind proof gear I use a discontinued Montbell pull on. 60 g, 7d Nylon. Holding up really well and very well designed/cut.
Their other stuff is good too (girlfriend uses a Dynamo jacket and loves it).
https://www.montbell.ch/products/list.p ... 4&gen_cd=1
Many other companies make very similar wind proof gear. If I was looking for a thin, lightweight soft shell, I'd just visit a few shops and try them on.

After getting pointed to Rab here I've got a Rab Borealis arriving today so I'll see how I get on! I like layers that I can use for hiking and biking so this might fit the bill. Plus you can get in colours other than Black!

samwise wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:20 am After getting pointed to Rab here I've got a Rab Borealis arriving today so I'll see how I get on! I like layers that I can use for hiking and biking so this might fit the bill. Plus you can get in colours other than Black!

Would be cool to read how you get on with it.

I use a Paramo windproof but like the look of the Polaris,
Shame they don't do Heifer sizes

Alpinum wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 10:32 am Would be cool to read how you get on with it.

First impressions of the Borealis are great! I got the XL and despite it being a climbers/athletic fit, its fits really well. Not too tight around the shoulders as I often have trouble with but close enough to keep any fabirc out the way whilst riding. Its super stretchy!

Temps dropped below freezing here last night and I went for a spin on the gravel bike first thing (when it was still around 0) with a long sleve baselayer and the jacket. It kept me nice and comfortable once I had warmed up. Once the sun warmed me up further it was easy to dump some heat with the main zip or either of the chest mesh pockets.

The orange 'firecracker' colour is ideal for riding.

https://rab.equipment/uk/borealis-jacket

"I got the XL and despite it being a climbers/athletic fit" ,.......that's why unfortunately
I rarely buy Rab anymore and it's a shame because I really like their stuff, as
Other manufacturers, they have seemingly dropped into also is the market for
Youth fashion not outdoor practicality, we're not all racing snakes

Fat tyre kicker wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:43 am "I got the XL and despite it being a climbers/athletic fit" ,.......that's why unfortunately
I rarely buy Rab anymore and it's a shame because I really like their stuff, as
Other manufacturers, they have seemingly dropped into also is the market for
Youth fashion not outdoor practicality, we're not all racing snakes

Agree! Hence why as 'not a racing snake' I was suprised by the fit of this jacket!

Horses for courses

I like the fit of Rab stuff. I find a lot of the US brands are too baggy, plus paramo etc. Montane and Rab fit me well, and usually have long sleeves. Even some of the posher Berghaus stuff works well

No one could describe me as a racing snake!

I like the Rab fit too, I’m about half a stone overweight so no slim Jim either

Fat tyre kicker wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:43 am Other manufacturers, they have seemingly dropped into also is the market for
Youth fashion not outdoor practicality, we're not all racing snakes

No, definately not. I'm a bit of a monkey (long arms), but barrel chest (iirc 110 cm circ.), broad shoulders (large back, gorilla?), 182 cm, feel lean with 80 kg and mostly weigh around 85 kg. An expert in anatonomy once dubbed me as being endomorph. Absolutely not lanky or a racing snake, more the stocky kind of lad with long limbs.

The Boreas and Borealis fit (body hugging with 2 - 3 mid layers underneath) well size L.
For puffy or wool jumper, I use size XL.
A 98 kg person at 192 cm finds XXL a good fit.

But lets face it, most outdoorsy persons aren't fat.
Rab makes gear for outdoor folks.

Claiming that their sizing is off because it doesn't fit (fat?) people but is tailored to "youth fashion" is silly.
After a wildernes trip I once walked into a shop to get some jeans and asked. I was given two pairs I couldn't even fit over my calves... no, Rab is far away from anything comparable.

Eg Assos makes clothing for racing snakes (because this is their main market...) and their largest leg warmers are a tight fit for me. Again, very different from any Rab clothing I've used (which is quite a bunch).

benp1 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:29 am Even some of the posher Berghaus stuff works well

For Alpine winter use I have their Ramche 2.0 (early production so a different inside fabric colour but unlikely different sizing) in size L and that is absolutely spot on for me too.

Montane's minimalist rain gear is just about okay in size L. A bit tight around the chest (Minimus smock and former Minimus 777 smock) and short arms.

Current OMM rain smocks (Aether and Halo) in L are a slightly better fit. Their Halo fleece hoodie is body hugging in size L on the other hand. Makes sense for high intensity activities, but will probably get it in XL for hiking too.

Maybe a bit off topic but it looks like the goal with a softshell is to be windproof, warm-ish, and breathable, right? Is that your preferred combination of "features"? Intuitively, and with not much experience, I would have gone with windproof + waterproof and get warmth from other layer(s). Don't know if something like that can also be breathable.
I'm asking because my lightweight raincoat is crap and I try to understand what features (warmth, water protection, wind protection, breathability, packability) I want to combine together in the most practical way.

nagasaki45 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:02 pm Maybe a bit off topic but it looks like the goal with a softshell is to be windproof, warm-ish, and breathable, right? Is that your preferred combination of "features"? Intuitively, and with not much experience, I would have gone with windproof + waterproof and get warmth from other layer(s). Don't know if something like that can also be breathable.
I'm asking because my lightweight raincoat is crap and I try to understand what features (warmth, water protection, wind protection, breathability, packability) I want to combine together in the most practical way.

It depends a bit on what the conditions will be like. If dry but windy (Swss windy, which is a light breeze for UK) a Borealis does it for me. Cool/cold and very windy (normal windy day in UK) a vest (love the latest Bearbone one) or even a thin nylon wind shell comes along.
So no membranes for me, especially not in winter.
If I expect rain I use a lightweight waterproof with some sort of a membrane, which would be a hard shell.
Sometimes, like for the last leg home of a ride, where it gets dark and cold and I'm tired and have a long descent, I use my old (and former) waterproof to stay warm, the kind of garments where it doesn't matter what happens to them. I often use a waterproof for hiking trips first and once it's done and I can't reproof it anymore, I start using it for biking where I sweat more and get wet from the inside anyways and thus get more use out of it.
Good thing with very lightweight waterproofs is, they're simple designs and mostly quite a bit cheaper than 'proper' rain jackets. Also, I don't get significantly more life out of heavier rain gear, since, next to tears which can easily be fixed, the membranes get worn through.